Ship locator and raiser.



4 W. N. BELL. SHIP LOOATOB AND BAISEB.

APPLIOA'IIOH FILED FEB-10!- 1911.

1 ,021 ,81 8. Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

WILLIAM NAPOLEON BELL, or nozsroitx, VIRGINIA.

SHIP LOCATOR AND RAISER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2,1912.

Application filed February 10, 1911. Serial No. 607,885.

"To all whom 'it 'm ayv concern:

Be it known that I,- \VILLIAM NAroLsoN' BELL, a citizen of Norfolk, county of Norfolk, State'of Virginia, United States of America, have invented a Ship Locator and Raiser; of which the following'is a speci- This invention relates to ship locators and raisers, and has for its object to form an attachiiieiit for ships whereby upon the shipsiiiking a buoy rises to the surface of the water and has attached thereto a cord or chain connected with a chain "or cable held in a suitable receptacle in the ship and at tached to the ship. The buoy has attached thereto a signalling Thus upon the buoy being sighted or discovered *the chain or cable attached to the sunken ship or vessel may be drawn upward in order to raise the vessel. l

This invention is embodied essentially in a tubular -member or pipe extending from the upper deck of the vessel to the bottom thereof having a buoy pocket or socket on the upper end thereof a'nd a chain or cable, receptacle on the lower end'thereof, and within the said receptacle isarranged e chain or cable sufficiently strong to sustain the 'weightof the ship and which has one end therof secured to the bottom of the ship and the other end thereof is secured to a smaller chain or cablewhich extends up through the i said pipe and is attached to a buoy held normally within-the pocket or socket at. the upper end of the said pipe, whereby upon the ship sinking, the buoy rises to the surface of thewuter thus pulling with it the H smaller chain or cable and permitting the larger chain or cable to be drawn upward to raise the ship. The buoy has attached thereto. as above stated, a signal flag which serves as a means for locating. the sunken ship or vessel. i

The invention is'illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similiir retorence characters indicutesimilar parts, and

i in which- Figure l is an elcvhtion of the attachment, parts broken away and-the signal flag being shown as broken oil.

and the bottom of the ship. Fig. 3 is a detail in section of the bottom of the buoy. liig -lfis' an end view of one of the pipe Fig. 1' is an elevation of the signal flag. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the connection between the raising chain sections. Fig. 5 isa section .on the line XX of Fig. 1, the chain being removed. Referring specifically to the drawingsthe three decks of the vessel aredsignated D, the lower decks being indicated diagrammatically by a single line, and the bottom of the'vessel is designated at L. The'pipeor tubular member C extendsthrough' the lower decks of the vessel terminating) at its ends udjacent'the upper deck andt-the ottom of the vessel. At the upper end of the said pipe is secured the buoy pocket of socket B which is of'a'n inverted conical shape and has an annular swell t and atthe lower end of the saidpipe is attached the receptacle or container .F which has a perforated bottom G. A bracket 39 is secured to the bot tom of the ship below the perforated bottom G and to the said bracket is pivoted e bracket- U which extends through the center of the said bottom. A comparatively large chain I is arranged within the receptacle F and has one end thereof secured, to the bracket 0 within the bottom G, while a smaller chain or cable H is secured to the other end thereof and extends up the pipe C. A buoy A'which is in the form of an inverted conical shell normally rests within the pocket B and to the lower end of which is attached the'upper end of the chain H, the said bnoybeing provided with aswivel joint 0n the upper side of. the said buoy is secured instaii 1 havinga signal flog k on the upper end thereof, which may be suitably colored to attract attention. The hottom of the ship or vessel is spaced from the receptacle F thus forming a. passage K below receptacle 1* and establishing a coininunicstion from the upper deck to the bottom of the vessel permitting the water to rise into the pipe t. FPO the ship sinking the water rising in the pipe (,3 through the perforated bottom G enters the lower end of the pocket ii and also enters the annular swell f forming a water cushion therein which causes the buoy to rise from the pocket and rise to the surface of the. Water drawing the chain H with it. The Signal tia iiiouiiicd on the buo thus serves as a means for locating the sunken vessel where- 5- upon the chain H may be taken up to bring the large chain I to the surface for the purpose ofraising the sunken vessel. What is claimed as new is:--'

1. IIlCOl'llblBfilllOIl with a ship, a pipe extending from the upper deck to the bottom thereof, a conical shaped buoy pocket secured to the upper end of the said pipe and having an annular swell, a receptacle secured to the lower end of the said pipe, a perforated bottom for the said receptacle, the bottom of the ship being spaced from the receptacle, a raising chain secured to the bottom of the vessel and arranged within the said receptacle, a smaller chain secured to the said chain and extending up the said pipe, an inverted conical shaped buoy fitting in the said pocket and attached to the upper end of the said smaller chain, whereby upon the ship sinking, the buoy is made to rise to the surface carrying with it the smaller chain.

2. In combination with a ship, a pipe extending from the upper deck to the bottom thereof, a buoy pocket secured to the upper end of the said pipe, a receptacle secured to the lower end of the said pipe, a perforated bottom for the said receptaclefthe bottom of the ship being spaced from the receptacle, a bracket secured to the bottom;

a bracket pivoted to the said bracket and extending through the center of the said bottom, a raising-chain secured to the latter bracket and arranged within the said receptacle, a smaller chain secured to the said chain and extending up the said pipe, and a'buofy arranged wi hin the said pocket and attached to the upper end of the said smaller chain, whereby upon the ship sinking, the buoy rises to the surface carrying with it the smaller chain.

3. In combination with a ship, a pipe extending from the upper deck to the bottom and communicating with the bottom of the vessel, a conical'shaped pocket secured to the upper end thereof and having an annular swell, an inverted conical shaped buoy fitting within the said pocket, and a chain attached to the lower end of the said buoy and extending down the said pipe.

\VILLIAM NAPOLEON BELL.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. Sworn, CHAS. H. NEAKLE, Jr. 

